Chapter 169

Chapter 169

Xiao Zhen hadn't even removed his armor, but Tong Sui had already been laid sideways by him at the edge of the kang, her shirt and skirt disheveled, half-covering her.

The bright autumn sunlight cast through the window screen, and Xiao Zhen had almost examined her completely.

Tong Sui was too exhausted to exert any strength, her eyes closed as she leaned against the crook of his left arm, letting the warrior have his way.

"I've tanned another layer; how are you still so fair?"

After satisfying his hands for a moment, Xiao Zhen cupped her flushed face, examining her carefully.

Tong Sui opened her eyes and met his familiar wheat-colored face, his sharp, sword-like brows, and his phoenix eyes with their imposing aura at the corners.

If Xiao Zhen hadn't drawn their relationship close enough right from the start, just sitting face-to-face might have taken some time for Tong Sui to overcome the slight estrangement from not seeing each other for a hundred days.

Married for less than two years, they had been apart for over three months; how could there be no sense of strangeness?

Tong Sui had been following the old master every day, surrounded by his brothers. If she had stayed at home like Liu Chu and Lin Ningfang, she might have returned to the state when she first married, her heart pounding at the mere sight of him.

"You don't recognize me either?" Xiao Zhen raised her hand and pressed it against his face.

Tong Sui couldn't bring herself to say anything, her dark, lustrous eyes shifting as she looked from his forehead to his chin, then from his left cheek to his right, darker and rougher from the journey.

As if possessed, Tong Sui thought of the things her cousin used to apply to her face, wondering if Second Master would be willing to use them.

"What are you laughing at?" Xiao Zhen asked.

Tong Sui bit her lip and asked with lowered eyes, "Has my face become rough?"

Xiao Zhen's gaze shifted down, his thumb rotating on her cheek, his voice hoarse, "As tender as the rest of you."

Tong Sui: "..."

She belatedly pulled the shirt that had been slipped to her arm back up, but before she could properly close it, Xiao Zhen pulled it down again.

"Is there water?"

"Yes, in the north room."

"Wait for me, just like that, and don't you put your clothes on."

As if Tong Sui would listen. As soon as Xiao Zhen left, she quickly fastened what needed to be fastened, lifted what needed to be lifted, and let go of what needed to be let go, finally slipping into the fallen embroidered shoes and heading to the vanity mirror to check her reflection. In the mirror, her hair was loose, the jade hairpin crooked, her cheeks as red as if several layers of rouge had been applied.

Tong Sui combed her hair quickly, and upon reaching the main room, found that Xiao Zhen had already barred the door, the sounds of his washing coming from the north room opposite.

Tong Sui quietly retreated to the south room, removed her shoes, climbed onto the kang, closed the three open large windows, then put her shoes back on, her heart flustered as she randomly picked up a book and sat before the vanity, flipping through it.

It was unknown how long she waited, but the sound of footsteps outside made her heart race faster, trying to focus on the black and white text before her.

Hearing him step in and close the door, Tong Sui secretly glanced in the mirror, seeing his approaching figure, wearing only a pair of white undershorts.

"Wasn't I told to wait on the kang?" Tong Sui's hand fell from the book page as she was softly and limply carried to the kang by him.

——

As noon approached, Xiao Zhen brushed aside Tong Sui's sweat-dampened strands of hair by her ears and asked, "What do you think they'll think if I don't have lunch with them?"

Tong Sui: "Go quickly!"

Xiao Zhen: "Don't want to. I'd rather stay and keep you company."

Tong Sui: "You can keep me company at night. Go now."

Xiao Zhen: "Will you go?"

Tong Sui: "... The last two days, Grandfather and I ate in the city; they ate at the camp."

Xiao Zhen knew; otherwise, he wouldn't have been so relentless.

"Should I have the kitchen prepare something for you?"

"No need. I'll take a nap first."

Xiao Zhen smiled, "Sleep. I'll close the door from outside."

Tong Sui drowsily agreed.

She slept through the entire afternoon and was awakened by the sound of the door opening, the window already dim.

The footsteps had approached the south room, and Tong Sui instinctively tightened the quilt and asked, "Xiao Zhen?"

The person didn't answer, pushing the door open directly. Tong Sui first smelled the alcohol before seeing her husband's flushed face.

A group of long-separated brothers reunited; one could imagine how many bowls of wine Xiao Zhen had to drink.

Just as Tong Sui was about to get up, Xiao Zhen pressed her down, not allowing her to move, and took the clothes she had left outside to the bathroom.

Tong Sui glanced at the wardrobe, this time not bothering, and waited for him lying in the quilt.

When Xiao Zhen, satiated, led her to lie down, it was pitch dark outside.

Tong Sui didn't know if it was from exhaustion or hunger, but her arms trembled uncontrollably as she dressed.

Seeing this, Xiao Zhen held her wrists and said, "You lie down; I'll get something to eat."

Tong Sui: "Can you cook?"

Xiao Zhen: "Just make the same pancake you made last time. It looked quite simple."

She had made it only once, and Xiao Zhen had only watched it once, but for the past few months, every night before he went to bed, he would think it over and over, confident that he could replicate the meal.

Tong Sui: "Alright, then hurry up, I'm really hungry."

Xiao Zhen put on his clothes and was about to go out, but after stepping out, he returned to help Tong Sui dress, and then carried her to the kitchen. This time, he made the pancakes while Tong Sui watched from the side.

The kitchen had everything they needed. Xiao Zhen first washed a plate of red dates for Tong Sui to snack on.

As Tong Sui ate, she reminded him how much salt to add and the right heat to use. The first pancake was a bit burnt, so Xiao Zhen set it aside for himself and gave the unburnt ones to Tong Sui.

There was no need to go to the main hall. The couple sat at the kitchen door, eating pancakes and drinking soup.

Tong Sui asked in a low voice, "When you went there at noon, didn't they talk nonsense?"

Xiao Zhen: "Who would dare to gossip about General Tong? Only the third one is loose-lipped, but as soon as he opened his mouth, I glared at him, and he lost his courage."

He was okay with teasing about his eagerness to see her, but if anyone dared to joke about their private matters, he would hit them even if they were his younger brother.

Tong Sui understood those men well. For example, Sun Dian had been disrespectful when Xiao Zhen accompanied her back to her family home. As their families grew closer, Sun Dian no longer dared to speak out of turn, and after they went into battle together, Sun Dian gained even more respect for her.

Xiao Ye was also not a concern. At most, he was a bit frivolous in private, but he always maintained decorum in public.

As for Xiao Yan, Xiao Zhen could indeed keep him in check with just one glance.

"Where did you learn to dress like this?" Xiao Zhen's gaze swept over Tong Sui again, "I really didn't recognize you at first glance."

The dress looked so good on her that Xiao Zhen couldn't bear to ruin it, though some parts were slightly wrinkled.

Seeing Xiao Zhen's wandering eyes, Tong Sui pulled the sides of her dress together and said softly, "My cousin went to the silk shop in the morning and bought me this set. She said that ladies from wealthy families dress like this, and I should get used to it early."

Xiao Zhen: "My cousin has given me a feast for the eyes, and I must repay her kindness. When she marries Wen Gong, we'll give a larger gift."

Tong Sui glared at him, "You should give more even without this. Although they haven't had the chance to earn military merits like us, their journey has been no easier than ours."

Xiao Zhen: "I know. They are also my real maternal grandfather, uncle, and cousins. In the future, I will take care of them even more than you."

Tong Sui: "He's a real cousin. I call him cousin, and you should too."

Xiao Zhen smiled without saying a word.

That night, the elders tactfully didn't come back to stay. Early the next morning, Tong Sui took Xiao Zhen next door to pay respects to her grandfather and uncle and had breakfast there.

As they sat down, Zhou Xian habitually helped Xiao Zhen move his chair.

Xiao Zhen: "Thank you, cousin."

Zhou Xian, who was several years younger than him, was stunned.

Tong Sui blushed and glared at Xiao Zhen.

Zhou Gui curiously asked, "Brother-in-law, why are you suddenly so polite to my brother?"

Xiao Zhen: "General Tong's orders, I dare not disobey."

Tong Sui: "..."

——

After another two days of rest, on the tenth day of September, the 60,000-strong Right Route Army continued south, heading for the last fortress in southern Jinzhou, Jincheng.

Once Jincheng was breached, they could finally emerge from the mountainous regions of Jinzhou, with the Yellow River separating them from the capital, Luoyang.

The Right Route Army was determined to take Jincheng. Imperial Uncle Dou couldn't afford to lose this northern gateway. When Taiyuan fell, Imperial Uncle Dou had already divided the remaining 200,000 imperial troops into four routes, totaling 150,000 soldiers. North of the Yellow River, 30,000 troops were stationed in Yuncheng to intercept Han Zongping's army, 20,000 were garrisoned in Jincheng to block Xiao Mu's army. South of the Yellow River, 50,000 were deployed to Hulao Pass east of Luoyang to guard against Lu Gong breaking through Kaifeng and Xingzhou, and 50,000 were stationed in Xiaohan Pass west of Luoyang to guard against Han Zongping breaking through Yuncheng and crossing Tong Pass.

The fact that only 20,000 troops were garrisoned in Jincheng, despite its importance, was a testament to how difficult it was to attack.

Not to mention Jincheng, even the three mountain fortresses to the north were proving to be quite difficult for the Right Route Army. It took them half a month to capture two of them, with casualties already reaching 5,000.

Even though Tong Sui had grown increasingly numb to death on this journey, seeing such a costly victory still caused her unbearable heartache.

That day, Xiao Zhen and the old man were discussing how to capture the third fortress. Tong Sui stood in front of the northern map and suddenly pointed to a mountain path, "Grandfather, if we follow this mountain path out of the mountains, can we bypass Jincheng and head directly to Qinxian to the south?"

Qinxian was already part of the capital region, and from Qinxian to the Yellow River, the path was clear. The imperial army would have no more mountain fortresses to defend.

Xiao Mu turned to look and sighed, "Yes, Longxing Mountain has eight dangerous paths from north to south. This is one of them, known as Longxing Path. The mountain road is narrow and winding, with six checkpoints along the 120-li path. Each checkpoint only needs 1,000 defenders to easily hold off a large army, making it hundreds of times more difficult than directly attacking and breaching Jincheng."

Tong Sui: "But if we capture these six checkpoints, we can bypass the 20,000 defenders in Jincheng."

Xiao Zhen looked at the light in her eyes and asked, "Do you want to lead a force to cross the mountains?"

Tong Sui: "Exactly. Even the most dangerous mountains have a way through. The less prepared the defenders are, the easier it will be for us to succeed in a surprise attack."

Before this, Tong Sui had always thought Longxing Mountain was just a few hundred miles around Weixian. It wasn't until she first saw the complete map of Jinzhou given by General Zhao that she realized Longxing Mountain stretched all the way from north of Weixian to south of Jinzhou, a distance of over a thousand miles.

But no matter how long it was, it was still Longxing Mountain, the same mountain she had been familiar with since childhood.

Tong Sui was confident she could find a path through the mountains to launch a surprise attack on the defending forces' checkpoints.

Xiao Mu: "Aman, I know you have the skill, but the number of soldiers in the Right Route Army who can follow you through the mountains might not even exceed 500. Water and food supplies are difficult to carry in the mountains, and carrying too much increases the risk of falling off the cliffs, while carrying too little won't sustain you until you reach the enemy camp. It's essentially a dead end."

Tong Sui: "But with the current method of attack, we lose more than 500 soldiers each time we assault a stronghold. The chances of success are greater if we try this path."

Xiao Mu fell silent.

Xiao Zhen stood next to Tong Sui and said, "Grandfather, I will go with Aman and try before the cold winter arrives; otherwise, we won't have another chance."

Xiao Mu: "No, even if you go, only one of you can go."

The young couple was essentially his right and left arms; there was no way he could let both of them go out on a dangerous mission at the same time.

Xiao Zhen looked at Tong Sui and said, "Xiaoman is going, and I will definitely follow him."

Tong Sui smiled at the old man and said, "If Second Master goes, unless Grandfather ties me up, I will definitely catch up with him."

Xiao Mu: “……”

After some hesitation, Xiao Mu sent for Xiao Shouyi, Xiao Yan, and others, instructing them to secretly select skilled men familiar with the mountains and proficient in climbing from their respective garrisons.

After a day of covert selection, over 800 able-bodied men were chosen. Xiao Yan and his two brothers, Sun Dian, Zhang Wengong, and others even requested to go along.

Xiao Mu: “If all of you go, who will lead the troops for me?”

In the end, he only chose Tong Gui and Qi Yun to accompany him.

That evening, these 800-some elite soldiers left the main camp undetected.